Food Waste Friday + Save It Sunday!

Food Waste Friday this week happens to land on the same day as my #SAVEITSUNDAY post, and since both are about food waste, I thought it made sense to combine them.Here’s my waste…some pieces of leftover chicken.

I’m not pleased about this by any means, but you guys, if you saw the amount of leftovers we DID successfully make it through, you would understand why I’m feeling more relieved than frustrated.

I seriously thought it was going to be way, way worse than this. So, phew!

And here’s my fridge, which is really empty by my standards, but is ridiculously full by Simply Being Mum‘s standards. She could probably eat from this fridge for two weeks.

Alrighty. So, for the rest of the post, I want to talk about motivation.

Because in my 5+ year battle against food waste in my home, I’ve learned that it’s important to know how to store and use up food, but I’ve also realized that it’s even more crucial to keep up my inspiration and motivation.

After all, without motivation, all the food storage knowledge in the world is no good.

To be terribly honest, even after five years at this, it’s still way easier to waste food than to save it.

It takes effort to store food properly instead of just chucking it all in the fridge.

It takes effort to keep the fridge organized and to keep track of its contents.

It takes effort to salvage food that’s a little past its prime.

It takes effort to choose slightly-less-appetizing leftovers over brand new food.

So, to keep going, you and I need some motivation.

To that end, I’m going to share the things that keep me inspired to fight food waste, and hopefully they’ll help you too.

1. Think about the financial cost for yourself.

I’d like to trot out some noble, selfless something-or-other for the top of the list, but honestly, this is probably the best way to self-motivate.

The average American family throws out $1500 worth of food every year.

$1,500. Yeah.

You can think of about a million other things you’d rather do with $1,500, right?

You could take a vacation, start an emergency fund, save for college, buy more local food, renovate something in your home, invest it, buy an SLR (oh, yes!), pay off some debt…the possibilities are endless.

And they’re pretty much all better options than throwing rotten chicken and slimy cucumbers into your trash can.

It’s crazy to buy perfectly good food with perfectly good money and then throw it away. But often, we just don’t see it for the crazy that it is.

It doesn’t happen $1,500 at a time, you know? It’s a squishy orange here, some Chinese leftovers there, and over time, it adds up.

So, the next time you see a dish of leftovers or the last of a head of lettuce, look at it as part of the $1500.

2. Consider the the work that went into your food.

One of the downsides of current food situation is the distance that it has created between us and the production of the food we eat.

This is at its most obvious when we eat out…we see nothing but the end product on our plates. But it’s also true that even when we grocery shop and cook at home, we don’t see all that went into getting those ingredients to the grocery store. I think this distance makes us forget the many hours of labor our food requires to make it from farm to fridge.

I know that when I grow food (which I only do a little of, as I’m sort of a terrible gardener), that food has great value to me because of the work I put into it. I also feel the same way about food that I cook from scratch. If I let a loaf of store-bought bread mold, I’m sad, but I’m especially sad if the end of a loaf of homemade bread gets moldy.

I think there’s a two-pronged solution to this problem. One is to make and grow more of your food yourself, and the other is to make a point of remembering the lengths other people went to in order to bring you food.

It’s one thing for people to labor to make food that we eat, and it’s quite another for them to labor over food that we forget about until it’s too late, and when I think of it that way, I’m freshly motivated to use what I buy.

3. Count the environmental cost.

The distance between the field and our plate is significant here too. When we see the vast produce displays at our grocery stores, we often don’t think of the incredible environmental cost of food production.

Of course, some resources have to be used in order to feed us (I’m not advocating that we starve ourselves.). But using resources to produce food that we don’t eat…that’s just ridiculous.

According to this 2010 study, we use the equivalent of 350 million barrels of oil annually to produce food that ultimately gets wasted. And that study was using very conservative and slightly dated numbers, so we’re probably wasting even more than that.

Environmental problems are often overwhelming, but you can do your part to help by buying only what you need and by using what you do buy.

4. Don’t hide it.

If the above three things don’t sufficiently motivate you, get some accountability going.

When my food waste was seen only by me, it was much easier to ignore it. But once I started posting weekly pictures of my food waste here on my blog, I was so much more motivated to shop carefully and to use up the food I bought.

Not everyone has a blog, of course, but there are other ways to keep yourself accountable. Get your roommates or family members on board, or find a like-minded friend, and challenge each other to reduce your food waste.

You can also gather inspiration from the over 28,000 people who’ve taken Glad’s #SAVEITSUNDAY pledge to love food more and waste it less, and use the Protection Pointers to help keep your food fresher longer.

Having other people involved will keep you on track, yes, but it’ll also make it more fun. Heroically saving wilting lettuce by making a soup is much more rewarding if you get to tell someone else about it.

_____________________

These four things are what help me keep going, but I’d love to what else motivates you to reduce your food waste?

This post is sponsored by Glad, but all text, photos, and opinions are my own, and I’m delighted to be working with them on the #SAVEITSUNDAY campaign, since food waste is a topic near and dear to my own heart.

A very good post Kristen. You do an excellent job of informing people. Unfortunately less and people seem interested in learning. On recent visits to my dentist and my doctor I observed one of my favorite hates – people just sitting and not even reading! On both occasions there were 5 people in the waiting rooms, I was the only one reading! Neither waiting room had a TV on. In the doctors office two people were texting. That seems to me a terrible waste of time. I can’t even stand to sit on the toilet for 5 minutes without having a paper or magazine! Think you might just learn something if you read a paper or magazine that could help you in your work or your life.
Knowing “stuff” is important to me, but not apparently to most people. The ignorance of the average American about the world we live in is terrifying. Just saying.

Or they could be so tired they are enjoying just sitting. As a homeschooling mom to 3 teens, any moment I can just sit with no questions and no more information needing to be processed by my brain, I grab it when I can!

Totally true. I have a terrible time just sitting still, but I must say, I do sometimes enjoy the time I spend doing mindless stuff like showering because of what you’re saying…the peace and quiet is lovely!

I have to respectfully disagree. Sometimes I find it refreshing to be alone with my thoughts and its rare I get a quiet moment to do that. I find sitting and waiting affords me the luxury to reflect, plan, or ruminate. I think assuming ignorance is a bit harsh.

Sorry David, this comment is a complete “No Sale” for me. I am an avid, lifelong reader. My family jokes that I will even read a cereal box, absent anything else to read, which is totally true. I also read on my phone and my kindle if I don’t have a book handy. Lately, I am less inclined to pick up a magazine in a public place than ever, and I do not consider myself a germaphobe. Please do not assume that just because others get their information in a different way than you that they are not “interested in learning”. Please reconsider your “hates” and negative assumptions, as they just might be a tiny bit wrong. In fact, I’d venture that knowing “stuff” is far less useful than knowing (and showing) kindness and tolerance.

I disagree, as well. I take care of my baby, cook, and clean from early morning until late evening, studying during her naps, and then I take classes and study until 1 or 2 a.m. If I get fifteen minutes to sit in a waiting room and clear my head (not that it is necessarily clear; I’m usually planning for later) then I gladly accept some time with no input. You must consider that everyone’s life is not identical to yours and that some occasionally necessitate a few moments of respite. Furthermore, many people possess the ability to be very fruitful with their thoughts and understand many things a great deal better than people who don’t take the opportunity to stop and think from time to time. Most of the people from whose writings you are benefiting are very likely that type of person.

Additionally, texting, while it may not be your preferred method, is a legitimate form of communication. I feel fortunate to have it as a means of keeping in touch, in an informal and fun way, with family who lives many thousands of miles away from me.

Firstly – 2 weeks? more like 2 months? haha only kidding. That looks like one organised waste-free fridge to me.

My fridge was ridiculously empty by mid-week this week (you may have seen it on Instagram – lurve Instagram!). It’s unusual for it to be so sparse so early on after my shop. Not really sure why. My post this week is talking about refrigerator efficiency (I need to get out more…:-)). The reason being is I have been reminded frequently that an empty fridge is energy inefficient. But that doesn’t mean I want it stacked full of produce that may go to waste. So I’m looking at alternatives.

Without a shadow of a doubt discovering Food Waste Friday over here has made the world of difference to my food-waste-habits. My motivation was being part of a community that cared about what food that potentially was being thrown away. It isn’t something that particularly comes up in day to day conversation. To find others, and an actual day (FWF) gave me an anchor to structure it all around. I like structures, systems, routines, habits. From Food Waste Friday I developed my No Waste Tastes Great Friday routine. This has been in place over 3 years, and it works for me. This is the second week in a row that I have zero-waste to report. This isn’t always the case. It’s about keeping an eye on the prize. Even those of us who do consciously think about food-waste on a daily basis don’t always make that save.

I’m now participating in #saveitsunday when I have something to save. It’s a positive message. Making that save. As you clearly and eloquently explain above there are so many benefits to being mindful about what you buy, what you use and what you waste.

I do blog and am publicly accountable – and for me it works. Even those who don’t blog can link up here as part of FWF and reap the rewards of being in this community.

Having just restocked my long-grain white rice stash I find myself wondering, again, how long we could eat from what I have. The answer has to be in months if one is just considering calories (because I have a lot of flour and rice) but probably less than a month for good nutrition because I don’t keep much in the way of storable vegetables. Although … it does take a long time for nutritional deficiencies to have an effect.

I’ve been working on our food waste as of late, not that we have ever been big wasters, but I’m more conscious of it now. I’ve been reading An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler and it has shed a whole new light on the way I cook and how I look at what’s in my fridge. She really sheds light on using up leftovers and not just in the reheat and eat way. I highly recommend her book. I got my copy from our local library, but am adding it to my list of must have books. Here’s to less food waste!

I make a couple of loaves of homemade bread per week. Honestly, we have the world’s fattest squirrels! We maybe share l/3 of a loaf per week with them- sheesh! If squirrels were edible we could make a fortune I think I learned from your site that potato in the dough yields a longer lasting loaf, and it truly works. Forced diet for the wildlife, but longer lasting dough– both kinds, for the humans. Thank you!!

My waste:
– Spinach, about 4 oz.
Spinach is the new cilantro. I can buy a smaller bunch and waste some because I don’t want to wash and destem it. Or I can buy a larger bag and waste some because it’s too much spinach. This week I opted for the larger bag. It didn’t occur to me to put the excess into the “for smoothies” freezer bag; I hope I remember next time.

– Smoked Baked Tofu, about 4 oz.
A new recipe. The idea is sound but I smoked the tofu too long and it tastes burnt-smokey rather than tasty-smokey. Lesson learned. I combined making the tofu with making Tea-Smoked Chicken (a Chinese dish) so it was very energy efficient.

To Watch: Spaghetti Squash w Onion Ragu.
Just not to my taste this time – it seems mushy rather than savory and flavorful. I’m short of ideas of how to repurpose it – any ideas?

Puree it, add some more tomato sauce, and call it spaghetti sauce (to put over real pasta or use as pizza sauce), or puree it with some broth and make tomato soup to serve with grilled cheese (especially good if you’re having as cold of weather as we are, -40 tomorrow morning). I’d expect that pureed, the squash would just disappear into the sauce or soup and just make it a little lighter.

On the spaghetti squash, what about using it in a cacciatore sauce? My recipe calls for heavy cream or cream cheese to attain that more-orange-than-red color sauce. I think the squash with the onion ragu would be healthy way to get that color and would taste wonderful!

My waste – Greek yoghurt and a bit of salad. Could’ve been worse. I long to be able to tame the fridge but I’m struggling daily with sharing it with another person that’s stubbornly minded. I wonder where I get it from?

This is a great informative post. These are all things I’ve been learning about the past four years since my son was born. I come from a family of farmers and we still live in a community that is primarily agricultural, so knowledge of where our food comes from has never been a short coming of mine. However, when I started reading your blog a few years ago I really started thinking about, not only the food we eat from a waste perspective, but our nutrition. And, like another poster stated, planning ahead is such an important step towards reducing waste, and improving the way you eat. I actually came at this like I was one of the last people in the world who hadn’t figured out the importance of menu planning. However, the last few months I am a little surprised by how many people don’t plan meals, and don’t really think about their food or grocery bills. When I mention what I do to them it is a novel idea, and many think it is too much work, even before they give it a try.

Love the leftovers! Love these ideas, Frugal Gal. Really, no food should ever go to waste. There are so many easy ways to use up leftovers especially. Here’s a great post written by a chef who actually helps people use up the leftovers. Check it out: http://www.wehatetowaste.com/king-county-love-leftovers/

I noticed you had two avacados in your fridge. I often eat one or 1/2 avacado per day and I normally purchase no less than 4 to 6 at a time. Very few go bad on me and if any do it is most often a remaining uneaten half (which I store refigerated and wrapped in a foldlock sandwich bag with the seed intact and facing down). The others are placed in a size appropriate brown paper bag which I fold shut and keep on my kitchen counter. Not ! in the refrigerator. I try to buy both green and fully ripe with the majority the not-so ripe ones. Use the softest ones first altho generally the last one is just as good as the first. Try it and tweak it as needed. For me, purchasing 5 un-ripe and 1 ripe is better than purchasing 3 ripe and hopeing for the best. I have bought 10 at value with very good results.

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